Stretcher



June 10, 1930. w, T A 1,762,535

STRETCHER Filed Sept. 23. 1926 4 UWW' I Patented June 10, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE SIDNEY W. TREAT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

SIGN ODE STEEL STRAPPING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE STRETCHER Application filed September 23, 1926. Serial No. 137,370. a

My invention relates to stretching devices,

'more particularly to that type of stretcher especially adapted to be used in stretchlng surface, leaving said ends free to be joined and sealed.

Another, object of my invention is the provision of a novel stretchingtool, adapted to grasp and stretch strap members, holding afree end of said strap (flat against the stretched portions without deviation from the line of tension of said members, for easy access in fixing said strap ends together by sealing or otherwise, at substantially full tension.

Another object is the provision of a novel stretching device for bulk binding in which the structure is adapted to be supported on the binding straps in the stretching operation.

Another object is the provision of a releasable supporting means for the purpose of supporting such a stretcher on the bind ing strap. l

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from'the following description and the accompanying drawings in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is-a plan view of my stretcher showing its application to the straps,

Fig. 2 is a vertical front elevationof the same stretcher with a part of the casing broken away,

Fig. 3 isa vertical side elevation taken from the. right in Fig. 2 partially broken away to show the interior,

Fig. 4 is a section of my stretcher taken on a line-4-4 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a detailed-view in perspective of my releasable guiding and supporting 0 1p. t 4

Fig. 6 is a view in perspective of a modified clip or stirrup; 7

Referring to the drawings 10 indicates the supporting frame of my stretcher, preferably made of cast metal and comprising a base structure with an upstanding flat apron 11 adapted to be received behind the straps to be'stretched, 45 and 47, and to co-operate with other members for clamping and guiding said"straps and supporting the stretching tool thereon. The apron 11 is provided with a fixed clamping member 62 having a toothed surface for the purpose of gripping the steel strap 45 and the apron'll is likewise provided with the horizontal slots 59 adapted to receive the legs 56' of the clip 49 further to be described. The base 10 is likewise provided withan upstanding lug 12 having re-enforcing rib 13 and overturned end 14 parallel to the said base and provided with a journal 64 for the purpose of journalling a pivoted lever 40 on a shaft 41. The lever 40 is provided with an exterior actuating surface 65 and at its forward end adjacent to apron 11 is provided with a cam shaped, serrated gripportion of the shaft. and having one end extending tangentially to bear against the side of the lug 12 and the/other tensioned behind the lever 40 in .such manner that the clamping surface 44 is constantly urged against the fixed clamping member 62 and as aresult of this structure and the cam shape of the clamping surface, tension on the strap 45 toward the left in Fig. 1 tends to draw with it the clamping surface 44 holding very tightly the strap 45.

The frame 10-is provided at its lower portion with two horizontal flanges 15 and 16 forming a chamber 40 adapted to receive a worm gear 37 and communicating with a bore 19,adapted to receive the-shaft 20. The shaft 20 is ournalled in the bore 19 and is preferably an integral piece comprising the worm 33, an annular groove 32, a pressure collar 31, a square portion 22, circular portion 20 and a square portion 23 on its end, which latter is adapted to receive the hand wheel 24 having a square hole, and which hand wheel is retained on said shaft by washer 25 and a screw 26 therein. The groove 32 may be of any shape adapted to cooperate with a pin 39' provided the said groove is annular, but I prefer to make the said groove of the shape of the arc of a circle, thus permitting the use of a round pin 39' adapted to co-operate with the said groove, and a bore in' the frame to hold the shaft 20 in its journal and prevent the longitudinal motion of thesame. The pin 39 may be provided with a slot, and threads at its lower end adapted to co=operate with the vframe 10 and hold the said pin in fixed relation. The pressure collar 31 comprises an annular ring formed integrally with the shaft 20 and having annular pressure surface 38 adapted to co-operate with the adjacent surface of the'frame 10 providing a wide thrust bearing surface to resist longitudinal inward movement of the shaft 20 when the said shaft is used to actuate the gear 37 in the stretching operation. The square portion 22 of the shaft 20 is adapted to receive a square bore of the ratchet handle 27, which handle comprises the ratchet wheel 30 *having an opening of any shape adapted to'fit the portion 22 of the shaft 20, the transverse pin 29 supporting the ratchet lever 28 which co-operates with the ratchet wheel 30 to produce motion of the same in a. clockwise direction, permitting relative motion between said ratchet handle, 27 and shaft 20 when said ratchet handle is turned counter-clockwise. The ratchet lever 28 is, of course, provided with the spring 66 adapted to hold the said lever against the teeth of the ratchet wheel 30 in a manner,

well known in the art and said ratchet wheel and handle are held in their proper place on the shaft 20 by the co-operation of the exfterior surface of the collar 31 and the spac- "injg member 21 inserted between the said,

ratchet and the hand wheel." v p vThe flanges 15'and 16 are provided with i journal bearings 67 adapted to journal the 'shaft 34 and drum. 38, which drum is integral with the shaft 34 at its upper end, the drum 38 having slots 39 extending across the same, of a depth and width sufficient to receive loosely the steel strap 47. The slots: 1

may diametrical or segmental provided they are sufiiciently spaced as to leave portions of metal between them strong enough to withstand the torsional and shearing stress incidental to the stretching o oration,

- The shaft 34 adapted to receive t e worni gear 37 which is fixed thereon within the chamber 40, and between flanges 15 and 16, by a key 36 and 'slot 35 in the said shaft and worm gear and the said shaft 34 is held in axial fixed relation to the frame 10b the co-operation of the lower ortion o the drum 38 with the upper sur ace of the gear 37, which gear bears on the upper surface of flange 16, and by a washer 58 co-operating with the lower surface of flange 16, the said Washer being fixed to the endof the shaft 34 by a screw 63 or other convenient fastening means, and caused to rotate with the said shaft by a pin '64 in said shaft and washer.

The chamber 40 containing worm and be filled with hard oil or grease adapted to lubricate the worm and gear.

The frame 10 is also provided with the pivotal post 51 on the opposite side of the drum 38 relative to the clamping surface 44 and the pivotal postv5l is adapted to support the guide clip 49', comprising a channelled sheet metalmember having plurality of bearing holes 52 for the reception of the pivotal post 51, an anterior actuating portion 53 and two parallel extending legs 55 and 56 formed by removing the web of the channel 57. The clip 49 is also provided with a helical spring 61 wound aboutpivotalpost 51 between the bearings 52, one end of the said spring being inserted in, a hole or slot in said pivotal post and the other end being tensioned and extended to'bear against the actuating portion 53 about which the end of the spring may be wound for bet- .ter securing the same, in such manner'that the clip 49 is biased in counter-clockwise vdirection by the spring 61 into constant cooperation with the slots 59 ofthe apron 11,

but the said clip 49 may be rotated manually against the tension of the spring 61 to remove the legs 55 and 56 from the slots 59,-

57 and that ortion of the apron 11 between in such manger that the legs 55 and 56, webrum member 38. The

the slots 59 orm a closed loop 60 adapted to I 1918, for the purpose of holding the said straps in fixed relation.

As shown in Fig. 1 after the stretching operation has been completed, or whenever desired by the operator, the clip 49 may be rotated to the dotted line position 50 removing the legs 55 and 56 from the slots 59 and opening the loop 60 thereby permitting the removal of the stretching tool by simply unclamping the clamping surface 44 and sliding the apron 11 from under the binding-members 45 and 47 In'this operation the portion of the binding member 47, which is wound about the drum 38, may likewise be removed by sliding this coil of strap upward off the drum and out of the slots 39.

The method of assembly of my stretching device is as follows:

The assembly of the clamping member 40 and the clip 49 to the frame 10 will be obvious from the foregoing description. In assembling the balance of the stretching device, the shaft 20 is slid axially into the bore 19 until the groove 32 registers with the bore for the pin 39 whereupon the said pin is fastened in place, the ratchet handle 27 is placed upon the square portion 22, collar 21 placed upon the shaft 20 and the hand wheel 24 aflixedby the screw 26. The worm gear 37 is placed between the flanges 15 and 16 with its bore aligned with the bearings 67 and the shaft 34 is inserted from the top with the key 36 in its corresponding slot 35 in the gear and wheel. Said shaft is then fixed in the frame by means of the washer 58 and screw 63 as previously described and the chamber 49 may be filled with lubricating oil and the cover plate 17 attached.

The method of operation of my stretcher is as follows:

One end of the strap 45 which has previously been passed. around a bulk to be bound, is clamped between the clamping surfaces 44 and 62 in such manner that an end 46 of the strap 45 projects along the apron 11 and through the loop 60 beyond the stretching tool as shown in Fig. 1; the other end of the strap 47 is inserted through loop 60 into one of the slots 39 of the, drum 38, the loop '60 being open to the dotted line 50 in this operation if desired. The clip 49, if open, is then permitted to close about the straps 46 and 47 and by turning hand wheel 24a few turns in a clockwise direction the drum 38 will be actuated bythe worm gear 37 and the worm 33 in a'counter-clockwi se direction, as shown in Fig. 1, winding a portion of the strap 47 upon its periphery.

The stretching tool will then be supported upon the strap members 45 and 47 which in turn are supported by the bulkto be bound together an the 0 erator may (graspthe hand wheel 24 b t e right ban and the ratchet 27 witht e left, or vice versa, and

having tensioned the strap as far as possible with the hand wheel "the ratchet lever 27 may be used to complete the stretching operation, by turning the shaft 20 in aclockwise direction. The adjacent portions 46 and 4710f the strap may thenbe sealed together, the clamping surface 44 released and the apron 11 slid from under the straps as previously described.

In the tensioning operation the operator gras s the hand wheel a with one hand, stea ying the stretcher upon its supporting straps, and the ratchet lever in the other hand. During the tensioning pull on the ratchet handle the hand wheel is allowed to slip in the hand, and the hand wheel is then firmly gripped by that hand; while the ratchet is moved in the reverse direction, the

spring pawl clicking over the teeth of the ratchet. It will thus be observed that the handwheel both serves to steady the tool and to hold the stretcher mechanism, still while the ratchet moves to a new grip on the ratchet wheel.

It will thus be observed that I have provided a stretchingdevice which permits the stretching of tension members. and their subsequent olnlng across a plane surface,

the apron 11 being the only portion of the supported on the straps to be stretched thereby permitting the operator to use both his hands in the subsequent stretching operation. Also, thestraps 45 and 47 have their portions 46 and 47 flatly adjacent for the purpose of completing a permanent seal.

In the modification shown in F igure'6, I have shown a modified apron 11 having a projecting lug 68'. The clip member 69 con- .sists of a flat metal plate having a hole, by

means of which it is pivotally mounted on the'fiat side 70 of the stretcher casing, by the bolt' 71 and lock washers 72. The plate 69 is conformed to provide surface 73 to be gripped by the fingers, and an opening 74 preferably rectangular to receive the sup- 'I porting strap andwhich is formed by t cooperation of the shoulder 76, finger 75 and lug 68. n

The finger 75 may cooperate with a slot in the apron or'may'abut against the'lug 68 in a corner as shown. The plate 69 may be wish to be limited to the "10 spring pressed to looping position or the lock nuts may be so positioned as to .frictionally hold the plate in adjusted, osition.

While I have illustrated and escribed the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of modification without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not recise details of the constructions set fort but desire to availmyself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

I-claim: v

1. In a stretching tool, supporting means, stretching gneans to apply stretching force at one ehdf'of a tension member,icl'amping means for another part of said tension member to clamp same with a free end lying against a tensioned portion of said tension member "outside the said tool and means to support" said tool on said tension member comprising a pivoted'lever having a U .stirrup about said tension member, said frame having slots to receive the ends of said stirrup.

stretching. means to apply stretching force at one end of a tension member, clamping.

means for another part ofsaidtension memher to clamp same with a free' end lying 1 against a tens'ioned part of said tension member outside the said tool and meansjto support said tool onsaid tension member comprising a pivoted lever having a' U stirrup about said tension member, sa1d frame having slots'to receive the ends of said stirrup and a Pri'ng for biasing said stirrupto closed position.

3.vIn a stretcher for binding members, the combination of a supporting body, with means carried by said body for securing one end ,of a binder, a slotted tensioning drum for securing the other end of a binder, and

a releasable member forming a guide for said binder upon said body and adapted to support said stretcher on said binder to maintain said binder in a slot in said drum dur- 1n the tensioning operation.

n witness whereofl hereuntosubscribe my name; this 15th day of September, 1926.

slDNEY W. TREAT.

2. In a stretching tool, supporting means, 

